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Moto X: Leaked video reveals features, August launch likely

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moto-xCheck out our full review of the Motorola Moto X smart phone.

Google and Motorola have been doing fairly well keeping a lid on Moto X-related information, with the companies behind the new device seeking to build momentum prior to its imminent launch.

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However, a leaked video – apparently the work of Canadian wireless carrier Rogers – has helpfully divulged a few more details about the device. It seems that the high-end handset will incorporate a voice command feature that’s fired up and ready to go 24/7. No button-pressing to get it started, no swipes or taps to initiate it; it’s always on, always listening, and always ready to respond.

How this might work out in an elevator choc full of Moto X owners is anybody’s guess, but presumably it could get rather noisy if all the phones kick off together when someone asks about the weather. OK, it’s possibly a scenario too far, but hey, if the phone turns out to be a big hit, you never know.

The video (below), brought to our attention by Australian site Ausdroid, explains that “without touching it at all, you can get directions, set an alarm, or do nearly anything, just by talking.” We’ll have to wait to see if Google includes this always-on functionality in its next version of Android, or whether it keeps it as a Moto-X-only feature.

Active updates will also be part of the device. “Instead of a blinking light that doesn’t actually tell you anything, information quietly appears on the screen,” the video explains.

Easy camera

The new handset will also feature a quick-launch camera, with a simple double shake all that’s required to get it ready. Taking a shot is simple enough too – just tap lightly anywhere on the screen and you’re done (or keep it pressed for burst mode), useful for snappers who can never quite get their digit around to the awkwardly placed shutter button without jogging the camera at the vital moment.

The video rather oddly makes no mention of the handset’s much-talked-about customization options where you can choose a color for the front and back – Rogers says its Moto X will be available only in black and white.

Google has reportedly set aside up to half a billion dollars to market the Moto X, a clear indication of how badly the company wants this device – the first from Motorola since the mobile maker was acquired by Google last year – to succeed when it comes to market.

Talking of coming to market, the video also states the Moto X will launch in Canada in August, and will be sold exclusively in the country by Rogers. No US launch date has been officially announced yet, but if it’s coming to Canada in August, we can expect to see it at the same time or before in the US – in other words, sooner than the fall date that’s been doing the rounds recently.

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Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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